Degel Hatorah party chairman, MK Moshe Gafne, who also chairs the Knesset Finance Committee, visited the Bar Ilan neighborhood of Beit Shemesh on Wednesday, located in Old Beit Shemesh. After seeing the distress of residents, Gafne received a report from the neighborhood’s rav, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Fartig, who explained a father cannot go to shul with his children due to the lack of space. In addition, the little ones, ages 3-5, are clueless as to where they will be for the new school year, which begins on Sunday.

Gafne said “We are not for [Mayor Dr.] Aliza [Bloch] or against”, but if there is no solution for the children to come to shul to daven, or to the kindergartens, then we will not hesitate to break from the coalition. The mayor asked that I meet with her. I asked Shmulik Greenberg to tell her that after there are concrete solutions within the neighborhood, I will be pleased to meet with her.

Gafne was escorted for part of his visit by Menachem Shapira, Shmuel Greenberg, Yisrael Silverstein, Shlomo Brilliant and Chaim Zemura, all local Degel Hatorah officials.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)